Galapagos with Lindblad Expeditions

Introduction to expedition cruising to Galapagos

Galapagos without a doubt is an incredible expedition cruising destination –some 600 nautical miles off the coast of Ecuador, this archipelago teems with endemic flora and fauna completely unafraid of humans. The waters surrounding the archipelago are equally rich of life, and water activities form a huge part of expedition experience.

97% of Galapagos is a designated national park, and the whole archipelago is a UNESCO heritage site -which in practical terms means that certain rules apply to all visitors to the archipelago. In addition to being accompanied by national park certified guides, following wildlife viewing guidelines, keeping to the designated tracks, and more, the maximum capacity of any ship visiting the islands is 100 passengers, and there are only 5 with this capacity operating in the islands, while smaller boats – yachts, catamarans, 50 passenger vessels- dominate the waters of the archipelago.

As an all-year round destination, Galapagos hosts roughly 300,000 visitors each year. Due to its proximity to equator, the weather in Galapagos experiences mild variations, and different highlights happen during different periods of the year, so unless your clients are after experiencing a specific phenomenon or seeing a specific wildlife species that do not reside in the islands for the entire year, they will have an amazing time regardless of when they choose to visit the Enchanted Islands.

More about Galapagos and our expedition cruise operator members here .

Galapagos expedition with Lindblad Expeditions

I have recently had an opportunity to revisit the Galapagos archipelago with Lindblad expeditions, and here are some of my experiences.

Lindblad Expeditions operates two ships in the archipelago: 96 guest National Geographic Endeavour II and 48 guest National Geographic Islander II. I travelled onboard National Geographic Endeavour II.

Many expedition cruise companies, Lindblad Expeditions including, in addition to a variation of 7 day, 14 day, or shorter itineraries in the Galapagos, offer pre and/or post cruise hotel in the mainland Ecuador, internal flights between the mainland and the islands (there are two airports in the archipelago: in Baltra, and San Cristobal), as well sorting out any relevant fees to enter the park, and offering a possibility to book your international flights or including them as a part of the package. All our expedition cruise operator members that offer expedition cruising to Galapagos – Latin trails, Silversea, Metropolitan Touring, HX Hurtigruten Expeditions, and of course, Lindblad Expeditions – can also offer extensions to your clients’ trips, both to the other destinations within Ecuador (rainforests, Andes, Amazon), and to the neighbouring countries, such as Peru, making it incredibly easy to book a holiday of the lifetime, that would otherwise would be logistically challenging and would require a considerable amount of research if done independently. And of course, for those of you who work for a specialist tour operator and offer trips to Latin America, most of our expedition cruise operators can also accommodate the pricing model to ensure you can package your clients’ holiday using your, or your clients’ preferred tours, hotels, and experiences.

For my trip, we chose to book international flights independently, and to stay for couple of days in Guayaquil before our expedition (Lindblad Expeditions offers their clients a choice of pre-cruise stay in the Ecuador’s capital Quito or Guayaquil before the start of their expedition). Having travelled to Quito the first time several years earlier, we decided to stay for couple of days in Guayaquil instead. We booked our trip prior to Ecuador announcing the state of emergency, and I will get back to you on this topic later, and how this impacts travel to the Galapagos.

Pre and post cruise arrangements

Lindblad Expeditions include a one-night pre-cruise stay at the hotel Oro Verde in the downtown of Guayaquil, a perfect 4* hotel for the brief visit to the city before next morning’s flights to Galapagos. This is the same hotel they use for the post-cruise stay for those clients who travel internationally a day or more later after their Galapagos cruise.

As we arrived two days earlier, we rebooked independently Del Parque hotel, a 5* Relais &Chateaux property which is also part of the Oro Verde hotel group. This is an amazing hotel to offer to your clients as an alternative who are after a bit of luxury and perhaps arrive couple of days earlier– set in the park, the hotel offers an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Hotel’s restaurant offers fine Ecuadorian cuisine, and the food was delicious.

Upon arrival to Guayaquil, we were met by the representative from Lindblad at the airport who explained us the proceedings for the next couple of days and accompanied us to our private transfer. More information followed the next morning and on Saturday, the 20th of January we were provided with a private transfer, given the flight boarding passes, advised on all necessary documents, and successfully joined the rest of the group by the boarding gate of our flight.

Return journey could not have been smoother either- Lindblad Expeditions’ representatives are present at each stage – from expedition leader giving a briefing a day before departure, to the moment Lindblad Expeditions’ representatives wave you off at the security gates at the Guayaquil airport to join your international flight (and for those guests booking independently international flights, they provide recommendations which international flights to take)– while this is to be expected, I was really impressed with the team both on land and onboard the ship and how well the process works.

The ship

National Geographic Endeavour II is a comfortable expedition ship that can host up to 96 passengers. Equipped with a lounge, dining room, library, shop, observation deck with a bar, it meets all the needs you may have during your very busy itinerary in the Galapagos. To my surprise, the ship does not have a lift, so this may need to be taken into consideration for clients with reduced mobility. In our uber connected world where we are glued constantly to multiple screens, it came as a surprise to realise the rooms do not have a TV either. While it may feel unsettling at first, once you get going, it immediately makes sense why.

Firstly, everything onboard – the seating in dining room, the lounge, the name tags that are sent to the guests before the voyage and that are worn by most- are nudging you to meet the people and get to know your fellow travellers in the 3D world. Secondly, you simply don’t have time to watch TV – Lindblad Expeditions’ programme in Galapagos without a doubt squeezes every single minute out of the destination. Lastly, if having access to Netflix or other streaming services is a deal breaker for your clients, Lindblad Expeditions have recently followed a number of cruise lines and now offer Starlink internet connection. Basic access to internet is complimentary, however you can also purchase a premium version that allows you to stream the services without breaking the bank.

The itinerary

All expedition cruise operators offer a variation of two or three trips that explore different parts of archipelago within two weeks’ period which is then repeated. Our itinerary focused predominantly on the South Eastern and Central parts of the archipelago and included Espanola, Floreana, Santa Cruz, Daphne Major, Bartolome, Sombrero Chino, and Santiago islands, each of which offer unique sights and wildlife experiences – from white sand beaches where Sea lions take a nap during the day of the Espanola, to volcanic, other worldly landscapes of Cerro Dragon in the Santa Cruz island where we trekked uphill looking for the land iguanas.

Having experienced Galapagos archipelago earlier, I have to say that Lindblad expeditions’ itinerary is designed to maximise every opportunity of the place: most of the days, we had three activities to choose from, from deep water snorkelling, to hiking, to joining a glass bottom boat for those not keen to get into water, to kayaking, SUP paddling and more. In addition to this, and if the morning shore activities didn’t start too early, the guests could join stretching exercises on the outer deck (dutifully attended by yours truly – few yoga experiences can beat spotting feeding dolphins or frigate birds hovering above you while you salute the sun and feel the sea breeze on your face), daily lectures, covering varied topics such as oceanography, human history of the islands, as well as a talk about its most famous visitor Charles Darwin and more.

Photography is important onboard Lindblad Expeditions too (as it is frankly for most of the expedition cruise travellers) and each of the expeditions has a National Geographic certified photographer who is there to help the clients to make the most of their cameras and phones.

A word must be said about the hotel team too: from a BBQ dinner on the outer deck, to wine tasting, lunches celebrating Ecuador and Galapagos, those opportunities seamlessly complement guests’ experience of the place and adds another dimension of the overall experience.

Lindblad Expeditions and Sustainability

Galapagos archipelago is already a strictly regulated destination and various rules apply to all expedition cruise operators, from limiting imported goods, using specific cleaning products, and others. While environmental impact remains a challenge for the entire cruising industry and marine transport in general, it has been fascinating to see how Lindblad Expeditions actively engages in reducing the negative impact, and where possible, creating positive outcomes, throughout multiple touchpoints of the trip. Firstly, to reduce the food waste, the clients are asked to choose their evening meal earlier in the day, helping the chefs prepare the options with more accuracy. Needless to say, this isn’t strictly enforced, and you can change your mind on the evening, but this gentle nudging to make a choice is embraced by most of the guests, and reduces the food waste. Clients are also given a choice if they would like their linen changed mid-voyage and looking at the sign up sheet to opt out, its evident many decide not to, further reducing water consumption. The shop onboard features art created by locals and guests get a chance to meet and interact with the artists onboard during the Puerto Ayora visit (the largest human inhabited place in the islands in the Santa Cruz). All purchases made contribute a percentage of profits to Lindblad’s and National Geographic artisan fund.

All vegetables onboard come from a hydroponic farm in the Santa Cruz island, and we opted to go and meet the owner of the Ochoa farm as one of the activities while in Santa Cruz– and I have to admit I loved that visit because it truly makes you appreciate the challenges the islands face, both ethical and practical – how to keep the islands pristine and intact while introducing foreign species of plants and animals to feed the increasing number of people moving to the islands, how to adapt to changing weather patterns caused by the climate change, and just to witness the dedication and passion of the locals to work with the nature and businesses that care about the future of this magical place.

Lindblad Expeditions is actively involved in the conservation of the islands and since 1960s it has contributed over $9,6million to various projects, including Charles Darwin foundation and more – in fact, a thank you from the Conservation fund, there is an endemic species of butterfly named after Lindblad in the islands.

All this is of course in addition to using locally produced toiletries, recycling the rubbish onboard, elimination of single use plastic, using water fountains to refill your water bottles - all of which are now more or less standard practices onboard most of the expedition ships in the Galapagos.

Who is Lindblad Expeditions for in the Galapagos

First and foremost, Lindblad Expeditions is about maximising the exploration and learning about the destination, and everything is designed with this goal in mind: from the activities to the menus, to the lecture program, to the merchandise in the gift shop. The predominant nationality of the guests onboard National Geographic Endeavour II during my voyage were Americans – the key market for Lindblad Expeditions. It is important however to note that Galapagos is a popular choice for American travellers regardless which company they choose to travel with due to North America’s relative proximity to Ecuador and the archipelago. National Geographic brand also plays a strong pull for the clients and many guests I met during our trip regularly travel with National Geographic and Lindblad to the other parts of the world.

Lindblad Expeditions is an ideal expedition cruise company for a client who wants to experience as much as possible of the archipelago, is after a relaxed atmosphere onboard the ship, and who doesn’t mind getting to know and interact with fellow travellers, and is sustainability minded. Lindblad’s partnership with National Geographic also means there is a strong emphasis on photography and some trips are joined by Nat Geo experts too, so this is a bonus for amateur and professional photographers joining their trips.

Lastly, while there were not many children during our trip, Lindblad Expeditions offers dedicated family sailings and run National Geographic Global Explorer programme for under 18s on all trips, so this company is also great for those travelling with the children.

Other Expedition Cruise Network Operator members that offer trips to Galapagos are Latin Trails (16 passenger catamaran), Metropolitan Touring (40-48 passenger vessels), HX Hurtigruten Expeditions (90 passenger vessel), and Silversea (ultra-luxury 100 passenger vessel) – and you can learn more about their programmes and how they compare one to another on our website and webinar recording here.

Travelling to Galapagos during Ecuador’s state of emergency

Shortly before our trip, Ecuador announced countrywide state of emergency due to its ongoing clashes with the drug lords and UK’s FCDO’s advice was immediately changed to avoid all unnecessary travel to the country. While FCDO has changed its advice since and it only applies to limited areas of the country, this caused some stir in the industry and dampened consumer confidence to travel to the archipelago.

As we flew to Guayaquil to start our trip, the only precaution I made based on the advice is I rebooked independently the Del Parque hotel – located further out of the city centre in the middle of the historical park with a fantastic restaurant on the site, it felt like the right option to relax before our trip to the archipelago.? In the evening before our trip, we even met our local friends and travelled to another part of the city to have a dinner in a newly opened restaurant. Beside having to make it back to the hotel before the 11pm and the start of the curfew, the life in Guayaquil and Ecuador continues on and the moment you reach the Galapagos and immerse in the wonder and magic of the Enhanced Islands, not only you forget about the issues the country is having in the mainland, but about everything else too, and to me, this is exactly the reason I travel and explore.

Ecuador and Galapagos need the tourists, not only to support the local businesses whose livelihoods depend on it, but to also help this mostly peaceful and safe Latin American country to swiftly recover and continue inviting the guests to enjoy its diverse ecosystems and hospitality. My personal verdict on travelling to Galapagos during this period is: when in mainland, trust the expedition cruise company and its local tour operator for the safety advice- this is, first and utmost, their priority; and enjoy the Galapagos fully and wholeheartedly when you get there, because so far, nothing is stopping you from it.

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